Wethersfield Council OKs Final High School Construction Contracts

WETHERSFIELD — The town council has approved the final $5.1 million worth of construction contracts for the ongoing reconstruction of Wethersfield High School.

Contracts for roofing, flooring, ceramic tile and kitchen equipment were put on hold while the town secured an additional $10 million from the state to cover cost overruns.

Council members on Monday also approved almost $1 million in contracts for new furniture, equipment and computers for the school's new wings and guidance and administrative offices. The additions, a gym, a media center and a music wing, are scheduled to open in December.

The $85 million project, meanwhile, is running smoothly, with workers laboring in two shifts to get as much done as possible over summer vacation, Superintendent Michael Emmett said.

"We've got a full complement of workers over at the high school making great progress," Emmett said.

Town Manager Jeff Bridges said that contactors have made significant progress so far this summer.

"It's all hands on deck," he said.

In response to a question from Councilwoman Donna Hemmann, Director of Maintenance and Operations Fred Bushey said that the district is saving about 30 percent of the existing equipment and furniture.

"The rest has gone well beyond its useful life," Bushey said. "As we moved furniture, a lot of it fell apart."

The school system is offering usable items to other schools, Bushey and Emmett said. Air-conditioning from the old music rooms, for example, is being installed in the Samuel B. Webb Elementary School cafeteria, Emmett said.

In addition, the new school will move away from traditional classroom layouts, rendering some furnishings obsolete, Emmett said.

"I have workspaces that are more flexible," he said. "It looks more like a college campus as opposed to a high school."

The council still must approve furnishings, equipment and computers for other parts of the building, as they are reconstructed, Emmett said. The project is slated for completion for the 2016-17 school year.